Tiberian Ecumene
Tiberium 'was a 2000 year old civilization that once encompassed most of '''Ur '- from the savage shores of '''Ys '''to the forbidding forests of '''Land's End. At its height it ruled three quarters of mankind from its capitol, Numitor, and was the greatest power of its time. The Ecumene is credited with uniting most of the human race for two millennia and most languages today have broken off from Tiberium's "common tongue". Slavery was also thoroughly abolished in its domains. The only rivals who came close challenging it were the Dominion-in-Vaalbara '''and the Summer Court of Yavanna'. During the '''Wars of Accession' the Tiberians won a number of pyrrhic victories over the Siorai Elves; these victories marked the Ecumene's historic peak, and for a thousand years hence it endured a long and bitter decline in power. It was destroyed two centuries during the Last Ending, when dragons woke out of hibernation. Location & Founding Numitor Tiberium's capitol was called Numitor, an ancient city that actually predated the Tiberians themselves. It lay on a long, claw-like peninsula (similar to Cape Cod). The richest trade routes in all the world ran back to Numitor, and the city was beautified by its untold wealth. Each Consul '''left the city grander than he had found it until its heart was a labyrinth of gleaming towers, copper roofs, stained glass domes, cobbled streets, fountains, gardens, and aqueducts. Visitors often claimed half the city's population was its breathtakingly lifelike statues, all worn smooth and featureless by hard rains. It housed over a million people. A number of huge monuments dominated the city's skyline; * The '''Crucible: a grand arena built around the feet of a colossal statue, bloodletting was mixed with games, plays, and parades, and entire Legions could be trained and camped here. Its sands were stained red with blood. * The Fountainhead: '''An aquifer fed by three aqueducts, which overflowed each night and washed the streets and drains clean Sister Cities Numitor's sister cities - '''Loslantine, Banbias, '''and '''Pallas - almost rivaled its splendor, however, trade wars between these four cities eventually led to Numitor destroying them. Colonies The Ecumene possessed innumerable colonies throughout Ur and treated whole nations like mere vassals. What are today the nations of Amaranth, Land's End, Ys, Denedell, Raion, Troika, The Shield Marches, Freesia, '''and '''Outremer were its most prized possessions. Many nonhumans also lived within the Ecumene, often in alienages '''(walled-off ghettos) and 'corrals '(reservations). The Founding of Numitor Long ago Tiberian shepherds discovered the bare foundations of an ancient city skirting the coasts of Cape Wrath. They settled there, naming the city Numitor. Their sons were merchants and adventurers who sailed out of sight of land and kindled trade in the far corners of the world. In time their prosperity gave rise to three more cities - Loslantine, Banbias, and Pallas, however, the rivalry among these sister-cities eventually led to civil war. Numitor utterly crushed its sisters and tore their cities down. History of the Ecumene For 2000 years Numitor was the capitol of the Ecumene, an empire whose Legions conquered most of Ur. At its height 3/4 of humankind called themselves Tiberians. Although its reign was occasionally punctuated by civil wars and invasions Tiberium brought a state of peace and stability to the world that has not been seen since. The Tiberians did not force their culture on their subjects, allowing them to keep their old ways and tongues so long as they gave the two things needed to sustain the empire; blood and treasure. In time it was the Tiberians who were changed, adopting the words, customs, and even gods of the very people they had conquered! Raion, the Shield Marches, Outremer, and Ys were the Ecumene's first major conquests; these wars are recorded elsewhere. War of Accession Midway (1000 years) into its reign Tiberium set its sights on conquering '''Yavanna, a rich and exotic continent to the south east. The Ecumene needed relentless war and trade to sustain itself, and after its defeat in Land's End the empire's confidence had begun to falter. Tiberian merchants had insinuated themselves among Yavanna's Suitors, who were divided over the affections of an immortal queen. Unfortunately, the Tiberians did not know that Yavanna was one of the oldest Elvish colonies in Tara, conquered millennia ago by the Dominion. Its 100 million people were all descended from men and Elves, and - even without knowing it - they were all subjects of the Summer Court. At first Dominion let the war run its course (as they had in Land's End), but chose to intervene when the Tiberians seemed about to triumph. Battle of Red Tides and Last Reach Every single Legion was mobilized to defend Numitor and in a single battle - the Battle of Red Tides- they were slaughtered almost to a man. Barely enough men escaped to man the walls, and they resigned themselves to a long and foregone siege. One Consul, Moroin '(himself part Elvish) remained in the city to organize the defense; the other, '''Ferax Princeps '(the daring general who had led the fruitless invasion of Yavanna) tried to rally the Ecumene's provinces together, hoping to raise an army to lift the siege.The whole city's population was put out; the Elves did not trouble them nor did they offer aid of any kind. Many starved or died of sickness, camped outside the walls or squatting in slums. The Elves were content to wait out the siege - whether it took years or decades, it made no matter to them. No one - not a smuggler, or even a raven - made it into the city. In only a year Princeps managed to rally together a very unlikely host of allies, including '''Kindred Elves '''and '''Centauri Lancers. '''The Dwarf clans provided hard-won financing for the relief effort, and sent some of their finest smiths and engineers while their own Vaults churned out the war effort's materiel. How exactly he accomplished this is a mystery; no doubt many hard deals had to be brokered on good faith. In the end he found help from the unlikeliest of places; the '''Winter Court '''of the Dominion. These Courtiers were troubled by Summer's growing power and influence, which had already drawn the '''Alder-Ri '''himself into the war, and presumably desired a balance between the Courts. Even bolstered by these new allies when Princeps took the field he had less than half the troops he'd commanded at Red Tides. Knowing that a fair fight would be suicide he took the Elves unawares instead. The '''Battle of Last Reach '''was still a bloody, desperate fight. In the end '''Balor '''the Alder-Ri was forced to negotiate, agreeing to a ceasefire and withdrawing back to Vaalbara. He had lost an arm in the fight, as well as all his heirs. The negotiations were meant to be finished in Vaalbara, however, Princeps' fleet was lost. Consul Moroin gave up his rank, troubled by the calls he had made during the war. Decline Although the Tiberians defeated the Elves it was only a pyyrhic victory; millions had perished, including all but one of the Legions. From then on the Tiberians chose to consolidate their remaining strength; their surviving Legion became their sole army, guarding their innermost provinces. Many of the deals that had been made with Tiberium's allies during the war fell flat. By this time the empire was a patchwork for kingdoms, tribes, and species. For another thousand years it went down a long, slow decline. Uprisings came and went - as did plagues, famines, and invasions, but the empire endured them all, despite sinking under its own weight. Eventually it had become irrelevant to most of its subjects, who resented the burden of its crumbling infrastructure and bloated Legion. It seemed as if Numitor's foundations were turning to sand, its Legionnaires stretched too thin to keep every province in line, and having long ago turned from conquerors into garrisons. Prolonged warfare (fighting century-long wars on multiple fronts) had ushered in a secular and unisex "death cult". The Ecumene was finally brought to its knees when dragons woke out of hibernation, and ever since petty warlords have squabbled over its ashes. It still exists, albeit it is but a shadow's shadow of its old glory; reduced to living underground among the dead, in an undercity of catacombs, still fighting for control of their ruined city. Today Tiberium is only a dim memory, an old story of when the world was brighter and nobler, when men made their own fate. Proud Numitor is a crumbling ruin, burned down to its granite foundations by dragonfire, its people reduced to shadows on walls and streets. Legions One cannot speak of the Tiberians without mentioning their Legions, for the two were so closely bound that often the army was indistinguishable from the state. Their disciplined Legionnaires fought with mechanical efficiency, marching without hesitation into the meat grinder, and often their greatest victories came at the cost of horrifying attrition. These troops were all free and during its long decline the Legion accepted all able-bodied recruits (although it is perhaps telling that they accepted nonhumans into their ranks before women). The Legion even pardoned criminals and bought the freedom of slaves - after all, men who were accustomed to lives of obedience and hard labor made eager recruits. On land the Legionnaires fought in a rigid ''phalanx, ''a relentless, impenetrable shieldwall that measured victory in yards gained. But they were also skilled mariners, at home fighting on swaying decks and wading up through the surf in amphibious landings. Tribal mercenaries and mighty siegecraft came into play where these tactics failed; even nonhumans were deployed, to great effect. Centauri lancers, Elvish pathfinders, Orc shocktroops, and Dwarf smiths and engineers all filled out the ranks in lean times, fighting for pay and status. But the real secret to the Legions' success was engineering. Even as they marched they laid roads behind them for the supply trains that would follow. When a Legion bedded down for a long campaign the men sowed crops and raised livestock, cleared forests for fuel and palissades, and drained swamps. When a river couldn't be forded they built a bridge, and when a mountain couldn't be crossed they tunneled through it. Citizenship Only veterans from the Legions who had given years of service to the empire were awarded citizenship. It could not be inherited, and bestowed the right to own land, vote, and hold public office, making it a strong motivator for both commoners and the elite. These rights were inalienable and given to every veteran regardless of their background. Obviously the Legion had close ties to Tiberium's bureaucracy; the Quorum, Consuls, Magisters, Tribunes, and Provosts were all veterans. Because Tiberium was under martial law only citizens had a right to fair trial by tribunal. Slavery * Were introduced to slavery by the Amaranthines, went crazy with it, then abolished it everywhere in their domains Nonhumans As the Ecumene's borders grew it found it needed more manpower than itsprovinces could realistically supply, so it made fragile inroads with other races. Gradually these peoples bent the knee to the Tiberians, lacking the strength to challenge man's appetite for power. Even those who did so peaceably were displaced and marginalized; the fact that many could breed with humans only saw their populations diluted and brutalized. Many were confined to urban ghettos or pockets of wilderness - alienages for elves, orcs, and gnomes; corrals for centaurs. They formed a distinct, segregated underclass, but many served the Ecumene with distinction, fighting for pay and status. Religion Tiberium once had simple gods; '''the Shepherd, who looked after their herds; Mother-Above, who wept for and nurtured them with tears and milk and mercy; Sky-Father, who watched over all, etc. As the Ecumene absorbed new cultures many deities were added to its pantheon, and are dimly remembered today as constellations in the night sky. These gods fell out of favor during the Ecumene's long decline, gradually forgotten as the people felt their prayers for rain and good harvests, healthy children, peace, and gentle seasons seemed to fall on deaf ears. A new god took their place. The Tiberians had spent centuries at war, fighting on multiple fronts, and sheer attrition had hardened them into a morbid, fatalistic people. On the frontlines soldiers prayed to Death 'and his '''Blind Fates '(oracles), who gave victory at their whim. Each man's Death was unique in its way, waiting on him like an old friend or guardian, and guided him into the '''Void. The'Death's Head' became the new symbol of the empire, a secular, godless cult. Culture * Pit-fighting, athletic games, theater, religion all blended into one; the Crucible. * Soldier's merit; boys who intended to go into the Legion trained from a young age, competing to be selected as worthy for the war schools (many were fast tracked into being officers, centauri, or executor guards); they were mentored by family who were also in the Legion; veterans who showed promise became officers; swords were passed down as heirlooms from father to son, and no citizen ever went unarmed; never left a man behind as a matter of principle - even if it meant they lost MORE men, they would always reclaim their dead and wounded * Despised kings, who were born to their thrones, and the men who knelt to them; a common Tiberian boast was that they would "only ever die on their feet, not live on their knees" * Families paid their tithes in either blood (able sons, sent to the Legion) or treasure (gold, grain, livestock); tax collectors were also recruiters; even debtors could pay their taxes * Adopted the hygiene standards of other cultures (Amaranth, Yavanna); even the lowest classes bathed with soap and oil daily, and hands were washed before eating, gargled/rinsed out their mouths with wine * Were very suspicious of magic and organized religion (which often blended together), but revered and enshrined oracles (The Blind Fates of Death) Influences Author's notes: King Numitor was the grandfather of Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome. "Tiberian" comes from the name of Emperor Tiberius, one of Rome's greatest generals who was succeeded by Caligula. "Ecumene" is a term used in the Greco-Roman world to refer to the known, inhabited world. Tiberians are loosely inspired by (romanticized) Ancient Rome and Macedonian Greeks, and take the "Soldier-Citizen" concept from Heinlein's ''Starship Troopers. ''There is some British influence as well (their elaborate tea ceremonies, football, Raj imperialism,